There was more than playing going in a little park/playground on Warren Street between Hoyt and Smith in Boerum Hill late yesterday afternoon. There have been many emails on both the Boerum Hill list and the BoCoCa Parents group about gunfire in or near the park (including one explanation to a late-arriving parent of the heavy police presence being due to a “building violation”:

At just after 4 pm today near the park on Warren Street between Hoyt & Smith there were what sounded like at least 5 gunshots, pretty loud. The park was full of dozens of parents and kids and everybody just grabbed their kids and ran. The cops turned up a few minutes later.

There is also this account:

We arrived at the playground at around 4:30 this afternoon. Police tape still cordoned off Baltic St. near Hoyt & there were about 6 or so officers hanging around. I could see that from the swings area and it stayed that way until about 5 or so. I am surprised (but, maybe I shouldn’t be) that no officers came into the playground to warn those of us who arrived after the event that we should be careful.

The incident will be discussed at the next 76th Precinct Community Council Meeting. Here’s a bit more detail:

Just got off the phone with the 76th precinct and they encouraged attendance at their next scheduled monthly meeting, where this will be addressed. Here are the details: 76th Precinct Community Council Meeting. Tuesday, June 3rd at 420 Baltic between Bond & Hoyt at 7:30 pm. The officer I spoke with over the phone advised that the expected response is to to have police presence at the park – both uniformed and plainsclothes. The underlying issue seems to be a general increase in gun presence – there was mention of a potential return to the days of the ‘wild west’…This is unsettling – we arrived at the park shortly after the incident around 5 – noticed heavy police cars on Baltic – when asked, they said that there was a building violation (?) with nothing mentioned about the incident.

A “building violation”? Priceless.